|
Commenced:
|
01/05/2008 |
|---|---|
|
Submitted:
|
02/02/2011 |
|
Last updated:
|
07/10/2015 |
|
Location:
|
1a Abdallah Road, Seymour, Victoria, AU |
|
Website:
|
http://abdallahhouse.blogspot.com |
|
Climate zone:
|
Warm Temperate |
Using permaculture ethics and design principles to tranform an old energy guzzling bungalow into a showcase of sustainable design. It's about energy cycling, building community, creatively using and reusing materials... all without spending heaps of money.
The original intention of the project was to find a property that affordable in the local area and to develop it into a low impact home using the permaculture design principles, taking advantage of the generous grants that were available at the time.
The property that we ended up buying had a run-down bungalow which we were thinking we could reorientate and extend onto to make solar passive. We ended up deconstructing the building and reusing what was suitable.
The original house when purchased
I worked with architect / builder Peter Lockyer with the design of the building, I wanted to apply the ideas that I had developed from years of research and observation. The building was designed for my own needs, and yet I have taken into consideration how the building could be retrofitted to make it more conventional.
After we worked out the concept, Peter gave me an idea of what the building project would cost. We worked on the budget of A$100,000, and the timeline of one year. The house was ready to move in on time and on budget, just in time for the homebirth of our second son.
Since June 2010, when we moved in, the focus has been on developing the surrounding landscape, so that the property can harvest it's own rainwater for the food gardens, redusing our reliance on external inputs.
The street facing side of the house (southern elevation)
East elevation of house, with watertank above cellar
Northern facing living room with homegrown Red Gum decking
Note: The various badges displayed in people profiles are largely honesty-based self-proclamations by the individuals themselves. There are reporting functions users can use if they know of blatant misrepresentation (for both people and projects). Legitimacy, competency and reputation for all people and projects can be evidenced and/or developed through their providing regular updates on permaculture work they’re involved in, before/after photographs, etc. A spirit of objective nurturing of both people and projects through knowledge/encouragement/inspiration/resource sharing is the aim of the Worldwide Permaculture Network.
 |
MemberA member is a permaculturist who has never taken a PDC course. These cannot become PDC teachers. Members may be novice or highly experienced permaculturists or anywhere in between. Watch their updates for evaluation. |
|---|---|
  |
Permaculture MatchmakerOne of these badges will show if you select your gender and the "I'm single, looking for a permaculture partner" option in your profile. |
 |
PDCPeople who claim to have taken a Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) course somewhere in the world. |
 |
PDC VerifiedPeople who have entered an email address for the teacher of their PDC course, and have had their PDC status verified by that teacher. Watch their updates for evaluation. |
 |
PRI PDCPeople who’ve taken a Permaculture Research Institute PDC somewhere in the world. |
 |
PDC TeacherPeople who claim to teach some version of PDC somewhere in the world. |
 |
PRI TeacherWith the exception of the ‘Member’ who has never taken a PDC, all of the above can apply to become a PRI PDC Teacher. PRI PDC Teachers are those who the PRI recognise, through a vetting board, as determined and competent to teach the full 72-hour course as developed by Permaculture founder Bill Mollison – covering all the topics of The Designers’ Manual as well as possible (i.e. not cherry picking only aspects the teacher feels most interested or competent in). Such teachers also commit to focussing on the design science, and not including subjective spiritual/metaphysical elements. The reason these items are not included in the PDC curriculum is because they are “belief” based. Permaculture Design education concerns itself with teaching good design based on strategies and techniques which are scientifically provable. PRI PDC Teachers may be given teaching and/or consultancy offerings as they become available as the network grows. |
 |
Aid WorkerThe individual with this badge is indicating they are, have, or would like to be involved in permaculture aid work. As such, the individual may or may not have permaculture aid worker experience. Watch their updates for evaluation. |
 |
ConsultantThe individual with this badge is indicating they are, have, or would like to do paid permaculture design consultancy work. As such, the individual may or may not have permaculture consultancy experience. Watch their updates for evaluation. |
 |
Community ProjectCommunity projects are projects that help develop sustainable community interaction and increase localised resiliency. |
Owner built finalist at the 2012 GreenSmart Awards
When you look at the competition that we were up against (and the money that industry spent) it's pretty amazing the we got as far as we did with a $100k owner built house and a two day submission timeline.